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The History of the Medieval World: From the Conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade Audiobook
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(4.02) - 335 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
From the schism between Rome and Constantinople to the rise of the T'ang Dynasty, from the birth of Muhammad to the crowning of Charlemagne, this erudite book tells the fascinating, often violent story of kings, generals, and the peoples they ruled.
In her earlier work, The History of the Ancient World, Susan Wise Bauer wrote of the rise of kingship based on might. But in the years between the fourth and the twelfth centuries, rulers had to find new justification for their power, and they turned to divine truth or grace to justify political and military action. Right thus replaces might as the engine of empire.
Not just Christianity and Islam but the religions of the Persians and the Germans, and even Buddhism, are pressed into the service of the state. This phenomenon—stretching from the Americas all the way to Japan—changes religion, but it also changes the state.
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"This is a very approachable and readable history of the Medieval world. I enjoyed the author's method greatly. Each chapter is a mini-essay that can stand alone, including at least one map and a timeline at the end to put the chapter in historical perspective. While I was pretty familiar with much of the European history, I learned a good bit from each chapter - the author fleshes out the notable people of the era. This is a history of the entire world, and I thought the chapters on areas outside of Europe really shined. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Medieval history, or history in general. I really wish my text books would have been this entertaining!"
— Clay (5 out of 5 stars)
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[A] witty and well-written examination of world history...that is rich in detail and intriguing in anecdotal information.
— Publishers Weekly
The History of the Medieval World Listener Reviews
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" History repeating itself again and again... well told! "
— Clint, 2/16/2014 -
" Rate this 3 1/2 stars. Given its global and near millennial scope, it has to be somewhat superficial, which is not a criticism but an observation. Do not read this for an in-depth account of a more parochial event, person, or people. I found it helpful to put in chronological context the near- and far Eastern empires with the more familiar European and Byzantine histories. I also appreciated the plentiful maps. The two chapters on North and MezoAmerican cultures were basically throwaways, and unless I missed a paragraph or two, the Incas didn't make the cut. "
— Lachinchon, 2/14/2014 -
" I'll have to keep going back to this book. I wasn't able to finish it. What I did read, I loved! "
— Yahaira, 2/8/2014 -
" I've been waiting for this book to come out for 2 years. I loved the first one in the series. This one didn't let me down and may even be better than Vol. 1. "
— Ginger, 1/29/2014 -
" Very in depth look at the entire world during the early medieval period. "
— David, 1/27/2014 -
" Really good book. Packed with tons of information about the heads of the political worlds of Europe, India, the middle east, North Africa, and East Asia (and a little on the Americas as well). Note: As the title says, the book spans only the early middle ages and a little of the high middle ages. In other words, the book basically spans from the decline/collapse of Rome to the First Crusade. "
— Joe, 1/20/2014 -
" Well done, very ambitious achievement. Truely a world-wide history of the period. The timeline charts are a brilliant and almost indispenable addition for a period so little understood. Well balanced. "
— Franz, 1/20/2014 -
" Good survey of the Medieval world (covers the east as well as Western Civ). The pace is very quick however, and it is easy to get lost in the sea of names. Well written and interesting. "
— Jay, 1/15/2014 -
" Sweeping history of medieval times... Including historic details of China, Japan, Korea and India that I found quite lacking in other histories. "
— Brett, 1/11/2014 -
" Not quite as fun as the previous one, but that might be the nature of this period of history. "
— Karl, 12/30/2013 -
" Fantastic! Lovin' it. Written by a very intelligent homeschooler who knows her stuff! "
— Hannah, 12/19/2013 -
" This probably took me longer to finish than it should have but it was an overall good read. "
— Amal, 12/5/2013 -
" A decent overview of the overall time period, though if you want more detail on a specific time or place, you should definitely look for a book that specializes in that period/location. "
— Matthew, 10/11/2013 -
" Sweeping in scope, yet immanently readable for both academic and neophyte. From Japan and the Pacific islands, to the cultures of Meso-America, Bauer weaves a coherent tapesty that reminds us that all that was Medieval was not exclusively confined to Europe. "
— Bill, 8/28/2013 -
" I really enjoyed Susan Wise Bauer's book. Even though I am very familiar with the Medieval World, Susan wrote in such a way that I enjoyed rereading that particular time period. "
— Jbondandrews, 2/25/2013 -
" A popular-but-thorough history of the middle ages. I like the format, with bite-sized chapters that don't put me to sleep and aren't bogged down with endless proper names and places. Looking forward to Susan Wise Bauer's next one! "
— Abby, 9/10/2012 -
" Breathless pace on nearly every continent, something like history in the Bible - battles and inheritance. Useful time-lines of all the cultures at the end of each chapter. "
— Steven, 8/31/2012 -
" Amazing narative, clear, concise, and global of the major events during this long span of our history. "
— Mike, 7/14/2011 -
" Very good overall picture "
— Roger, 6/13/2011 -
" A very good overview of the early medieval period. The book covers European, Chinese, Indian, and Islamic civilizations in this period. Much of the material in this book was completely new to me, but I found it interesting overall, and the writer has a very engaging style. "
— Diane, 5/30/2011 -
" Excellent global survey. "
— Gilbert, 5/16/2011 -
" An interesting and engaging survey of the Medieval world focusing on the major battles, rulers, and religions. "
— Brian, 2/12/2011 -
" Well done, very ambitious achievement. Truely a world-wide history of the period. The timeline charts are a brilliant and almost indispenable addition for a period so little understood. Well balanced. "
— Franz, 2/5/2011 -
" Breathless pace on nearly every continent, something like history in the Bible - battles and inheritance. Useful time-lines of all the cultures at the end of each chapter. "
— Steven, 1/13/2011 -
" Giving this one a second read...seeing as how it deserves it. "
— Bill, 5/1/2010 -
" I've been waiting for this book to come out for 2 years. I loved the first one in the series. This one didn't let me down and may even be better than Vol. 1. "
— Ginger, 1/28/2010
About Susan Wise Bauer
Susan Wise Bauer is the bestselling author of the Story of the World series for elementary students, The Well-Educated Mind, and The History of the Ancient World and coauthor of The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home. She is a faculty member in English at the College of William and Mary in Virginia, where she teaches writing and literature.
About John Lee
John Lee is the winner of numerous Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. He has twice won acclaim as AudioFile’s Best Voice in Fiction & Classics. He also narrates video games, does voice-over work, and writes plays. He is an accomplished stage actor and has written and coproduced the feature films Breathing Hard and Forfeit. He played Alydon in the 1963–64 Doctor Who serial The Daleks.